I had the very unique experience of attending public schools all over the United States of
America. Because my father is an active duty officer in the military, I moved often. I had been
enrolled in ten different school districts in various states by the time I graduated high school. I
have lived in many types of communities, from the diverse inner-cities to rural farming
communities to the planned “suburbias;” I lived in all varieties. My schooling was primarily
taught based on the executive approach, for most teachers focused their curriculum on ensuring
everyone passed the state exams. In my primary schooling, undertones of the humanist approach
were usually incorporated into our education, and later, in secondary school, undertones of the
classicist approach were often used in my honors classes.
I believe the highest goal of education is self actualization. In order to achieve self-actualization,
one must blend core-knowledge with self understanding supported by the classist, executive, and
informationist approaches. Additionally, it is only after one has achieved self-actualization that
people are able to find freedom, inspiration, and a love for learning. People can not truly value
education until they have evaluated and internalized the information they are expected to learn.
Anyone can memorize facts, but only the wise let it transform them and use it to transform the
world.
My role as a teacher is a blend of both expert and helper. In the class room, I am the primary
source of knowledge, and my job is to teach students all aspects of English language and
literature. Simultaneously, through teaching young people English, I am helping them in the
most powerful of ways: teaching them how to retain information, how to communicate, and how
to think outside themselves. I am teaching them the essential skills necessary to succeed in life.
As an expert, I teach them knowledge and techniques, and as a helper, I teach them how to
evaluate and internalize the information so that they might actually use all they are learning.
I adamantly support group work; especially within the classroom. The more time the students
actually discuss and think about the topic being taught, the more likely they are to retain the
information. For example, if I was teaching the class about conflict, I would divide the
classroom into groups of three and give each group one form of conflict (man vs. man, man vs.
nature, man vs. society, or man vs. self). They would have seven minutes to create a short skit
acting out their type of conflict, and then they will perform the skits to the rest of the class. After
we vote on who had the best performance, I will teach a short summary concerning conflict and
how it applies to the literature we are reading. Furthermore, it is vital for people to learn how to
be comfortable writing out their thoughts and to learn to be self-reflective. Hence, journaling
and creative writing will play an important role in the class. Additionally, since I am a high
school English teacher, students will be learning how to write structured essays. The often
overlooked practice of peer review of essays will be a common occurrence within my classroom.
For, peer review is an extremely useful way to teach students the purpose for grammar’s
existence, how to improve personal grammar, and to appreciate quality writing.
My approach to class room environment is controlled freedom. I want to create a positive,
respectful, and welcoming atmosphere in my classroom. Students will be allowed to talk and
interact with each other at specified times during class, but they are expected to be respectfully
quiet during lectures, tests, and performances. My theme to class room management is
respectful fun. Everyone wants respect, and learning should be fun. That is the ultimate goal. In
a perfect world, I would be able to use a primarily humanistic approach. But, most students need
slightly more structure in order to learn the material at hand. Therefore, I will use a slightly
more classicist approach with strong humanist undertones. Grading evaluation is based on four
parts: tests, essays, class work, and participation. Tests and essays will be each weighted thirty-
five percent. Class work and participation will be worth fifteen percent each. My grading is
structured in such a way to encourage hardwork and participation in class, and also make sure
that students will have to actually earn their grades.
Personally, I love literature. I am awed by the power ink on a paper displayed in a code
we recognize as “English” has. It can take a person on the adventure of a lifetime, can cause a
person to laugh and to cry, and can transform a person's entire outlook on life. Secondly, I love
people. I find great joy and satisfaction in observing and interacting with people. As an English
teacher, I hope to combine both of my passions and help young people learn how to understand
the importance of learning to communicate effectively. For through learning to read, write,
speak, and listen effectively, they will be able to succeed in life. On a more professional note, I
plan on teaching for about three years, and then begin working on my masters in either English
literature or teaching administration. If I choose to get a masters in English, I will eventually
teach English at a collegiate level. If I choose teaching administration, I hope to eventually
become a principal and possibly superintendent of a school district. But most importantly, the
students come first. I will go where I can best make a difference. Whether it is as a teacher or
professor or principal, I will strive to go where I can positively affect students’ lives.